ODFL | locks

imported_Skywalker

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When does it seem logical to have locks on trailers going down the road to only take them off at your destination at "some" terminals that have no fences or some kind of security!I have no problem with the locks but isn't that the purpose to have them to deter crime?Why don't they have some kind of system that keeps locks on all loaded trailers regardless of the terminal and none on the empty's.Perhaps weld locks attatched to chains to the doors instead of everyone having to deal with this matter.Having the lock already with the trailer seems logical...right?
 
Od could eliminate seals. Just number the locks to correspond with the trailer number. Eventually a money saving investment.
 
If the locks were not secured to the trailer they would be stolen by employees just like it has happened where I work.
 
Toxic said:
If the locks were not secured to the trailer they would be stolen by employees just like it has happened where I work.
If you go to a terminal and a safety manager sees you do not have locks you stand a chance of getting wrote up. Many times a driver forgets to take them off and some drivers let them get so dry and full of salt that will not open leaving them on the trailer. This has given me the opportunity to collect one extra with the help of wd 40. If you lose your lock there is supposed to be a small replacement charge.
 
sparky said:
Od could eliminate seals. Just number the locks to correspond with the trailer number. Eventually a money saving investment.


How would you determine if the load has been tampered with?

The purpose of the seal isn't to prevent access, it is to verify that the door hasn't been opened since the loader put the seal on.

A lock is to keep people from opening it quickly...say at a coffee/pee break....or in some cities....at a red light.

In reality, the only way your idea would make sence is if the dock supers were the only ones to have a key/combination....but even then(depending on the lock)it is possible to hammer open a lock without breaking it...so it could be re-locked..and no one would know....where a seal, once broken....is broken.

Also, when you concider the costs of labor and fuel for every load, I don't really think the cost of a seal (per load) is breaking the bank.
 
As stated the seals are a way to prove the load hasn't been tampered with. The locks are definetly a pain for a driver and no good reason at all for them not to be applied and removed by dock workers since they are the only ones that apply and remove seals. Instead it becomes one more point of responsibilty and free labor for the driver to provide. The driver should only need a key for the locks in case of a problem in transit.

I have had to cut a lock off when it wouldn't open with the key, returned both halves for a new lock. If I didn't have the old lock I would have been charged. I engraved my employee # in mine for identification in case I forgot and left them on.
 
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